Every album here sits in one of nine genres. Here’s how the critics score each one, and where the arguments happen. Pick a genre for its best albums of all time and of this year.
Jazz82average Breakdown63%of albums likedNumber one: Miles Davis, Kind of Blue
Folk, Country & Americana77average Breakdown63%of albums likedNumber one: Bob Dylan, Blood on the Tracks
Indie & Alternative75average Breakdown57%of albums likedNumber one: Sonic Youth, Daydream Nation
Rock75average Breakdown53%of albums likedNumber one: Tom Waits, Rain Dogs
Electronic75average Breakdown51%of albums likedNumber one: Kraftwerk, Trans-Europe Express
Metal & Punk75average Breakdown56%of albums likedNumber one: Sex Pistols, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols
R&B & Soul74average Breakdown42%of albums likedNumber one: Stevie Wonder, Innervisions
Hip-Hop & Rap72average Breakdown44%of albums likedNumber one: Public Enemy, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
Pop69average Breakdown31%of albums likedNumber one: The Beach Boys, Pet SoundsGenres that stand out
Critics' favoriteJazzhas the highest average Breakdown of any genre: 82.Hardest to pleasePophas the lowest average Breakdown of any genre: 69.Most A-SidesJazz38% of its albums earned an A-Side, the best rate of any genre.Most divisiveR&B & Soul31% of its albums split the critics: Divided or Contentious.
How often each genre gets liked
Share of each genre's albums with a Breakdown of 75 or higher.
Folk, Country & Americana63%
Jazz62%
Indie & Alternative57%
Metal & Punk56%
Rock53%
Electronic51%
Hip-Hop & Rap44%
R&B & Soul42%
Pop31%
Every genre, decade by decade
Average Breakdown for each genre in each decade, where there are at least eight albums to go on. Darker means higher.
| 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop | 80 | 77 | 70 | 65 | 68 | 72 | |
| Rock | 90 | 83 | 78 | 74 | 69 | 70 | 76 |
| Indie & Alternative | 85 | 84 | 80 | 74 | 73 | 77 | |
| Hip-Hop & Rap | 83 | 76 | 71 | 70 | 69 | ||
| R&B & Soul | 92 | 83 | 76 | 67 | 72 | 73 | |
| Electronic | 85 | 74 | 69 | 77 | |||
| Folk, Country & Americana | 85 | 80 | 73 | 76 | 77 | ||
| Metal & Punk | 85 | 78 | 73 | 73 | 73 | 77 |